I would like to start a thread asking what is a special memory you have in aviation. This can be a real life experience or on Infinite Flight.
I’ll start this with a very special moment with my Dad and I. Sadly he passed away a couple years ago to lung cancer, which makes this memory very important to me. My father was born in the U.K. He was a very proud Englishman. His father would take him and all his brothers and sisters to Heathrow to plane spot back in the day. That’s where my dad found his passion in aviation. Later in his life he became a traveling salesman, and flew around the world. Becoming a million mile flyer on a couple of airlines. He loved British Airways, and his favorite jet was the 747. He told me stories about flying in business class in seat 1A. Where you are ahead of the pilots, and can almost see straight ahead through the window.
Later he moved with my mom and my sister to California. Where I was born in OC. A first generation American in my whole family. We moved to Florida when I was 3 years old, but California, and our house there stayed in my families heart and soul.
A couple years before he was diagnosed with cancer, and passed. He took me for a trip to San Diego. To see the house, and to explore a little bit. One day we decided to take a walk along the bay. Going to the USS Midway aircraft carrier museum. Continuing to walk just south of the airport.
We both noticed one of the access roads to enter the field was the same as our last name! Just at that moment I turned to see a beautiful British Airways 747-400 on final. Descending right above the houses on the hill. We both watched the queen touchdown. No words were said, but I could feel the memories it brought back for him. I also knew that witnessing this majestic sight with him was such a special moment. For the rest of the evening, he would tell me stories of his childhood and teenage years growing up. Stories I’ve never heard before. Things he only spoke about that night and never again.
I miss him every day. So many great memories we’ve had that I get to look back on!
Such a beautiful story from you🥺🥹
(Sorry for this long text*)
I had a grandpa once who knew a lot about aviation. He could tell me all about it when i was young. He lived in the same village where i grew up and live now close to amsterdam schiphol. I grew up with planes over my house so i got used to it. But when i was very young i didnt knew what all the flying noisy things where and sometimes i got a bit scared when there was a 747 passing by low. Nowadays i dont mind it of course:). He learned me everything about planes and thats how my hobby for planes came to life. My grandpa was unfortunatly a witness of the el al crash in amsterdam in 1992. Luckily he was at a proper distance to not get injured. So he also had stories about his experience that day. He died in 2015 so nowadays he isnt among us anymore but the moments i had with him and the things i learned from him will always stay with me❤️
Magnificent story. I know there are no words to describe the loss and sorrow you feel in the death of your father. I unfortunately can relate and empathize with you, I lost my father to skin cancer at the “ripe old age” of 7. Just passed the 16-year anniversary of his passing a week or so ago.
It sounds like you have many positive memories with your Dad, and the fact that you both share a soft spot for aviation is truly beautiful. I encourage you to cherish, enjoy, and relive those positive memories in your moments of grief.
Unfortunately for me I dont remember much of my father. (This doesnt mean i dont miss him… I feel it hurts worse.) As I was a young child at the time, i didnt know how to properly navigate the pain and suffering the grieving process would require. I just felt constant overwhelming and insurmountable amounts of pain, so I decided to somehow subconsciously lock it in a box and throw away the key. (I still dont know how I did that to this day) Well, that heavily influenced my brain’s decision to scrap most of those memories (with him), and replace them with “more positive” ones.
(I know im cutting off the story. Im not ready to share more/this post is long enough already/this isnt even my topic)
Sorry for rambling, but I wanted you to know that your story touched me in a way other stories can’t and wanted to thank you for sharing!
This is beautiful! I love that you got to share such a special moment with your dad like that!
I’ve luckily been able to share many moments like that with my grandmother who was a Flight Attendant for Southwest for 25 years and recently retired in 2020. There were several years where she would invite me to do the computer side of her recurrent training with her which I LOVED! So I know a lot ab equipment Flight attendants need to know about on the 737 heheh.
I really have so many memories with her but I think one that sticks out the most is when I was 6 years old, I was a Grant-A-Wish kid (same concept as Make-A-Wish, but different organization ;)) My wish was to go to Walt Disney World (I was 5 when I made the wish so don’t come for me😝) but on the day we flew out from MSY to MCO, she happened to be on a trip and was able to swap with another flight attendant and surprise my family and I by working our flight to Disney! My brothers and I passed out snacks on the flight and had an absolute blast! I’d like to think that was when my dream of being a flight attendant truly came true! 💙❤️💛
I could share so much more about my memories in aviation with her but for now I’ll leave it at that :))
I live by New York JFK airport; and I have a few neighbors who are in the aviation industry because of our proximity to it. One unloads DHL planes (yet to go to work with him lol), and one worked for the port authority fire department. This is the fire department for JFK, EWR, and LGA. At jfk they actually have two stations, one on the far side, and one north/in between 22L/R. One day about 7 or 8 years ago, I went on a ride-along with him. The fire station itself was real neat, nice and big with lots of windows to watch traffic. This day they were using 4Ll/R, so the departures went right over us, and the arrivals taxied right by us. It was incredible! We went on one of the fire trucks, and he showed me all of the tools… such as the heat camera to measure the temperature of an airplane engine (we tested it on some landing planes, it was cool), and the joystick for the fire hose on top. There’s an area of grass behind the runway but before Rockaway boulevard, and he let me spray the water out of it for a few minutes. Felt like a video game, the joystick was controlling such a high pressure machine… it was coming out at really high speeds. After that we just did some plane spotting. Saw many aircraft that now are gone sadly, such as an Iberia a340. Unfortunately I was younger and didn’t have a phone, but my dad has pictures, I’ll try to get them tonight.
Honorable mention: My first flight lesson. Lifting off for the first time is something that can’t be replicated.
My condolences to you and your family, I recently lost my father earlier this year so understand how tough it can be.
One of my fondest memories was the day I did a night XC with my instructor and my dad in the back, we departed out of SRQ inbound to Ocala. Filed IFR and got to show him what small GA flying is all about. Landed, got some food at FBO’s restaurant and headed into downtown. Not much was really going on there, but we made the best of it. We departed Ocala back to SRQ and just thinking about how this is going to turn into a long time memory for me. Landed runway 32, taxied back, took some pictures and we both went home. I just remember how proud he was that evening, and I use that as motivation to keep pushing forward. Stay strong!!
: